Also known as the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond, this jewel was discovered in the Kollur Mines of the Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh in India. It presently weighs 31.06 carats (6.212 g) and is a gorgeous deep blue in colour. The original diamond is said to have been 35.56 carats (7.112 g) and was known as Der Blaue Wittelsbacher. The 1700s make mention of the diamond in Munich when Archduchess of Austria Maria Amalia married Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.

(The Bavarian crown that held the Wittelsbach; image courtesy of Luxuries.com)

The Wittelsbach Diamond first graced the Order of the Golden Fleece belonging to the Bavarian Elector in 1945. Maximilian IV Joseph von Wittelsbach took the throne as King of Bavaria in 1806 and he had a crown designed specifically to hold the diamond. The diamond stayed atop the crown until 1921 which is where it was last seen publicly. The World Expo was held in Brussels in 1958 and the diamond was put on exhibit. In 2008 the diamond was sold to jeweller Laurence Graff. In 2010 Graff had the stone recut (a decision that was met with a lot of heavy criticism) and it lost 4.45 carats (890 mg). It was renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond.

(The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond in the hands of Laurence Graff; image courtesy of Smithsonian Mag.)

Re-evaluation of the jewel by the Gemmological Institute of America revealed its colour grade “fancy deep blue”. The clarity of the diamond was upgraded to “internally flawless” (IF).

Taj-i-Mah

(Lower left corner: The Taj-i-Mah; image courtesy of Famous Diamonds.)

Taj-i-Mah means the Crown of the Moon. It is a colourless diamond weighing 115.06 carats (23.012 g), Mughal cut and not mounted. British diplomat Sir John Malcolm has made note of the Taj-i-Mah alongside the Darya-i-noor during his visit to the Iranian capital during the 19th century; saying The Crown of the Moon weighed 146 carats and that it was part of a bracelet. It is possible that the diamond was recut at some point of time in its past after the Diplomat’s visit to Persia.

It is currently a part of the collection of the Crown Jewels of Iran, Tehran.

Briolette of India

(The Briolette of India; image courtesy of Famous Diamonds.)

This particular diamond was discovered in the Kollur mines of the Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It weighs 90.38 carats (18.076 g) and is a colourless type IIa diamond in a briolette cut (pear shaped with facets). Historians believe that it is the oldest recorded diamond in the world; reports say that the queen consort of King Louis VII of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought the diamond to England in the 12th century.

Historian Hans Nadelhoffer says the Briolette was cut into its shape in Paris after which it was sold to Cartier, who in turn sold it to American financier George Blumenthal in the form of a brooch with two 22-carat emeralds and a 126 grain pearl. It resurfaced in 1950 in the hands of jeweller Harry Winston who sold it to the wife of a Canadian millionaire from whose estate he purchased the diamond again after her death. Harry Winston then exhibited the diamond in 1970 after which he sold it to an unknown European individual.

The diamond is said to be in the possession of a European family presently.

(Clockwise: The Koh-i-noor diamond, The crown of the British monarch, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, images courtesy of Pinterest and Getty Images.)

The Koh-i-noor Diamond; Persian for Mountain of Light, was discovered in the 13th century in the Kollur mines of the Guntur District. It is an oval-cut brilliant, colourless diamond presently weighing 105.602 carats (21.1204 g) that is infamous for its long and bloodied history. It has passed through many royal hands, the likes of which are Alauddin Khalji, Babur, Humayun, ShahJahan, Aurangzeb, Nader Shah, Shah Shujah Durrani, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh upon whose death the diamond was surrendered to Queen Victoria (the reigning Queen of England at the time) and it is now set in the Crown of the Monarch of the United Kingdom and a few Commonwealth realms; Queen Elizabeth II.

(Clockwise: Socialite Evalyn Walsh, the diamond being exhibited, the Hope Diamond in the original setting and the diamond in the new setting designed by Harry Winston. Images courtesy of Pinterest)

The Hope Diamond is an antique cushion cut blue diamond, now weighing 45.52 carats (9.104 g) that was originally discovered in the Kollur mines in the 17th century. It made its way into the hands of French Gem Merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier as the Tavernier Blue after which it was cut and sold to King Louis XIV. Years later it showed up in the collection of banker Thomas Hope which is where it got its name; Hope Diamond. The diamond was sold to socialite Evalyn Walsh whom the diamond has adorned on numerous occasions. Harry Winston was the last to be in possession of it before he handed it over to the Smithsonian.

(Clockwise: The Regent Diamond, Napoleon, the Regent Diamond on the hilt of Napoleon’s sword, Marie Antoinette, Empress Eugenie and the Regent on display at the Apollon at the Louvre Museum. Images courtesy of Pinterest, Art Net, Interest Planet and Obsidian Wings.)

The Regent Diamond now weighs 141 carats (28.2 g) and is a cushion cut brilliant, also known as the Pitt diamond and it has quite a chequered past, as do most gems of high value; especially diamonds. It was discovered by a slave in the Paritala mines of the Krishna district during the 1700s. The slave stole the diamond and found a sea captain with whom he struck a deal for safe passage but greed blinded the captain who murdered the slave and sold the diamond to an Indian merchant after which he took his own life. The diamond was sold to Governor Thomas Pitt of Ft. George; that is where it got its name – the Pitt Diamond. More than a decade later it was sold to the Regent of France which is when it was renamed the Regent Diamond. It passed through the hands of Marie Antoinette (on her velvet hat), Napoleon (the hilt of his sword) and Empress Eugenie (studded on her diadem) until it found its way back onto French soil and was put on display at the Apollon Gallery of the Louvre Museum where it is housed to this day.